Posts Tagged ‘Western Cuisine’

Sometimes change is a good thing. A couple of years back when I first visited Cook & Brew, located on the 33rd floor of The Westin Singapore, the ambience looked really promising but the food was just average. This time round, I am glad to report that Cook & Brew’s refreshed menu is much more appetising and exciting. The following are some of the dishes that are worth checking out.

Whipped Buffalo Milk Ricotta Cheese $15

Before you do anything else, order this appetiser first. This was seriously so good. Who knew that a slab of Buffalo milk ricotta with truffle honey on a slice of grilled bread could be this good? I think I single-handedly finished half a pot of that ricotta cheese.

Dining at Antoinette is always a very pleasant affair. In this Instagram era where F&B’s pop-up and close down as fast as you can count, Antoinette gives you the feeling that it is here to stay. I’ve personally visited at least 10 or so times over the last few years? What amazes me is that Chef-Owner Pang Kok Keong seems to show no limits when it comes to introducing new dishes to his menu. All restaurants have to do that from time to time, but Chef Pang comes up with numerous dishes that are not only pretty to the eye (or camera), but taste good as well. Simply put, these are dishes I would return again to have.

This time round, I thought the new appetisers and main dishes stood out. My favourites from this lot has got to be the double prawn linguine, the wagyu beef tagliatelle, the baked rigatoni and the black bait. I’m quite sad to see last year’s Hakka inspired dishes go, but at least we have these new ones to look forward to.

Did you know that the Halia restaurant at the Singapore Botanic Gardens has recently been converted into a Halal restaurant as of June 2017? This beautiful restaurant which has been at the UNESCO World Heritage inscribed Singapore Botanic Gardens since 2001 can now be considered an inclusive dining destination for all. Muslims who visit the Botanic Gardens often now have the option to dine amidst this lush greenery without having to scoot off elsewhere for lunch or dinner.

It certainly makes sense to cater to the Halal market because of its unique location in one of Singapore’s most popular tourist destination. In order to be certified Halal, a significant change they have had to make is to remove alcohol from the menu. I am told this has not put a dent on profits because now the customer base has widened! Anyway, with a name like “Halia”, which means “ginger” in Malay, the connection is now even stronger.

Btw, when I say “inclusive dining destination”, I do mean it also in terms of pricing. Years ago, if you thought Halia to be an expensive restaurant, you would be right. But the menu has been largely revamped and now there are many main course-sized dishes going for less than $30. Appetisers are in the $15s range while desserts are about $11. Yet when you look at the decor and the ambience at Halia, you feel like you are dining in an upscale restaurant! On the evening of our media tasting, quite a number of tables were occupied by people celebrating birthdays. I would certainly love to celebrate my birthday there, it is so romantic at night!

Anyway, on to the food. In general, I thought the food was very good, given the pricing. Quite a number of the dishes were also innovatively presented so that nothing is predictable or mundane. Also the presentation, and small touches were befitting of an upscale restaurant. It is the attention to detail that takes a dish from good to great.

Fresh Boston Bay mussel $22

My favourite dish of the evening was this mussel dish, featuring a slightly spicy coconut and ginger flower broth had such an intense flavour that made me crave for more. A good thing that they provided a substantially sized slice of focaccia bread to mop up the delicious broth. This dish is listed under the “In Between” section of the menu, meaning that this may not be filling enough if you’re a large eater.

Lightly Smoked Kingfish $17

The fish was pretty delicate in flavour as well as texture, and disappeared all too soon. Oh you’re supposed to pour a chilled cucumber & ginger shooter onto the fish, but I quite liked it on its own.

Meats & Malts opened earlier this year but surprisingly, I haven’t seen or heard much about them on the social media sphere. In fact, when I googled, the only mention of them is from the Straits Times! That’s a shame because Meats & Malts is one of my best finds this year so far (food & relaxed ambience), definitely worth a visit if you’re nearby, or even if you’re not!

So spacious!

Meats & Malts is tucked away at the corner of the BreadTalk IHQ at Tai Seng, next to Food Republic. The seating area is massive, because BreadTalk IHQ is massive. I love the high ceiling, so spacious! Thanks to the humongous ceiling fans, it’s a breeze sitting outside, literally!

Seafood Tom Yam Pasta (Mixed seafood with Thai Tom Yam spices) $15.80

Ok so here’s the most memorable dish that we had. To think I was really reluctant when my dining companions suggested to order this. I wanted something more “cafe food” style, but they ignored me and went ahead! Everything was great about this dish, but what I loved most about it was the bouncy texture of the pasta and the really delicious tom yam cream sauce. It was good that the spice level was just right too. I could just eat oodles and oodles of those noodles with that sauce.

If the recently opened The Butcher’s Kitchen sounds familiar, it’s because it is opened by renowned butchery The Butcher which has been in Singapore for 14 years. This is one of the rare few places in Singapore where you can purchase your favourite meats to cook at home after sampling them for lunch or dinner.

Photo credit : The Butcher’s Kitchen

The Butcher’s Kitchen’s philosophy is to retail or serve meats that are certified organic from naturally raised animals, free from antibiotics, hormone promoters and steroids. The Butcher works directly with award-winning accredited producers, visiting their farms and processing facilities to authenticate the farm to table experience.

Being a person who cares about eating clean and natural foods, it is always good to be able to have more organic options. Although it naturally costs more to go the organic route, at least such options are made available, and hopefully this means more people become exposed to the philosophy of knowing what goes into their food.

When at The Butcher’s Kitchen, one naturally has to check out the meats. The meats are prepared by grilling or pan frying with minimal marinating to focus on the quality and not the sauces. But actually, their menu is quite wide, and they have also have fish, pizzas, pastas, pies and even ice-cream, 2 huge counters worth in fact!